General Murphio's Meanderings

[fiat500]

fiat500 Are you a mechanic by trade or is this is all self taught knowledge and skills from years owning Murphio (and others?)

Hi Bubins, in common with many of the people who contribute here, my knowledge of the fixes for the Fiat 500 are largely gained from experience with the car and with others makes and models over many years. But I've also gained lots of useful knowledge from the other contributors here and elsewhere on the Internet.

Apart from their multiple abilities with the repairs and maintenance on the car, you will often find that Forum members will also have specialist skills because of the trade they work or have worked in. In my case, for several years, I did work as a fitter doing plant maintenance, and I think this gave me confidence in undertaking complex, mechanical tasks. It certainly gave me the opportunity to learn about MIG-welding at the council-tax-payers' expense, which has become very useful since I use the car so frequently in such hostile conditions here in the North.

 

[fiat500]

It finally stopped raining, so perversely, we set off today to test out Murf's new mudflaps. I bought these a few years ago intending to fit them at the back of the car. I couldn't work out an easy way to fit them but with all the welding i've done in the front wheelarches it was very easy to install some welded-on nuts and then trim the flaps to fit. I did all this with the car off the ground and now I find that at slower speeds and uneven ground, they are catching slightly on the road-surface. It won't take long to let them wear to a perfect fit and although Murf now has a bit of a Dumbo appearance and looks even more like a cartoon attempt at a rally-car, it will be a very practical improvement.....he's going to fly....

 

[Bigvtwin996]

It finally stopped raining, so perversely, we set off today to test out Murf's new mudflaps..................

Not sure why.. but they don't look right..... perhaps the size.. but then if they were "to scale" they would not do the job....

Have you not considered fitting an all round skirt.. like the "Ground effect" ones used in F1 which were designed to wear away as the race progressed as the suspension actually lowered as the race progressed...

 

[fiat500]

Not sure why.. but they don't look right..... perhaps the size.. but then if they were "to scale" they would not do the job....

Have you not considered fitting an all round skirt.. like the "Ground effect" ones used in F1 which were designed to wear away as the race progressed as the suspension actually lowered as the race progressed...

I take your point; they weren't designed to be there, but I did buy them on the understanding that they were designed for the 500, albeit at the rear.

In any case, if I was that bothered about looks I would never leave the house! I had them anyway and they should perform a very useful function. I'd rip them back off again if I found them that offensive...would that certain others would do the same with the plastic bits they've stuck on their 500s.

It's good to know that I've accidentally come up with an F1 concept but if it extended to the sides I think I would have a chubby hovercraft rather than a 200mph supercar.

 

[fiat500]

With temperatures promised to be in the mid-20's and sun all day, I had to have programmed one of my work excursions, didn't I?

So away to Glenelg with a visit to the 2,000 year-old brochs. ....

....and then across to the Isle of Skye aboard a tiny ferry which still crosses, despite there being a bridge to the island. It's mainly for tourists and what better than a 1969 car on a 1969 ferry. It has a turn-table so that the cars are physically turned to face the off-ramp.

On the way back there was a section of steep downhill for a quarter of a mile where I used third and then second gear to avoid the car over-running with speed. Shortly afterwards the engine started to stutter and I had to crawl along for a mile or so, stopping to clean the main jet, but with no improvement. I figured that it had developed a serious vapour-lock because of the fuel being static in the pipe for so long whilst going downhill in the great heat. So by chugging along in low gear for a while, with the heater on inside , eventually the liquid fuel made it through and away we went without a stutter for the next 70 miles.

As it happens, I have some new copper fuel-pipe and 6mm fuel-hose, which was ordered to fit-out my campervan. I deliberately got a bit too much as I had it in mind to plumb-in a proper return pipe from the carb. overflow to the tank as was described so well by ricambiFiat500

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ricambifiat500/albums/72157622038829612

We've discussed this before but now I'm sure this is why Fiat went to the trouble of fitting a return-line to let the fuel continuously pump back to the tank instead of stagnating in the pipe in situations like this.

 

[Bigvtwin996]

...................

.

Did you not notice a couple of "Luspardan" stowaway's in your softtop?

 

[fiat500]

Those siths were driving the van behind which gently nudged my bumper....no apology...happened to me before on the Uist ferry.[emoji6] Best part was we were surrounded by seals who chase the little fish that the ferry man catches and throws to them Highly recommended, short excursion.

 

[fiat500]

For them that's bothered....I solved the impeller issue. It was the least worst possibility in that although the securing nut was at the correct torque and even Loctite'd into place, there was a slight lack of friction between the securing washers and the fan; I suspect that it was just long-term over-compression and deterioration of the thin, fabric washers that are sandwiched in there.

So I tightened the nut maybe a third of a turn and all is well.

In the past, I have struggled to get a proper grip on the generator shaft in order to tighten this and the pulley nut. Instructions in Haynes say to wedge something between the three, small pulley studs. I once bent a stud doing this and I don't think that it's good practise. So a simple tool followed....another advantage of having welder and lots of spare parts.......it is made very simply by bolting together three pulley spacers and then welding them to each other and to a metal handle. It was ten minutes' work but made this job so simple. In fact, I found it easy to do without using a jack and I just slid under the car, removed the undertray, disconnected the bottom of the intake hose and "da-da"...access all areas.

 

[fiat500]

We faced the demon today and did amost the same 200 mile+ journey to the far side of the Isle of Skye where I experienced the fan-loosening a few weeks ago. The car behaved as a Fiat 500 should. I even did my most mad-gnificent overtake ever from behing a slow van and another car, up a hill with a queue of half a dozen cars behind me who failed to take the opportunity. What a lovely feeling being a mile ahead of everyone else in a50 year old car, with a clear road in front of you and a busy, buzzy engine behind.
But half-way back I started to notice the return of the clunk. Not as bad as last time but the fan is loose again. I now think that the semi-oval location hole or the boss that fits in it (or both) have got worn. So a new impeller/fan? is definitely needed

 

[Vitesse]

Re: Murphio's Meandering

I had similar issue years ago that I cured by replacing the fabric washers, as you describe them, with some sheet of cork gasket cut to the right shape. It just added that extra little bit of grip needed to secure it all. It never did it again.

 

[fiat500]

Re: Murphio's Meandering

I had similar issue years ago that I cured by replacing the fabric washers, as you describe them, with some sheet of cork gasket cut to the right shape. It just added that extra little bit of grip needed to secure it all. It never did it again.

The obtuse little car has reacted to me temporarily re-fitting the fan by deciding to co-operate by not letting it go loose again for now. That's after me ordering a new aluminium impeller.:bang: It may be because I fitted an extra shim washer after the rubber one which may have spread the load better. I also avoided the torque wrench and judged the tightness freehand.

We had a stunner of a day up here and I had some places to visit in the afernoon. As usual I grabbed few shots; I seemed to have temporary habit of parking at funny angles.

 

[fiat500]

We had a spin up to one of my favourite places....Gardenstown in Aberdeen shire.

 

[Bubins]

Nice weather for a dip!

 

[fiat500]

I was tempted to drive down the slipway; the water was very clear and inviting....quite deep though, that's what put me off.

 

[fiat500]

We did one of our regular runs to Braemar today. Went up to a place called the Linn of Dee where people were sunbathing on the riverbank and swimming in the river (this is Scotland!). After a diversion past Balmoral Castle, a discussion with a couple of American people regarding Trump and Johnson, we raced back via Aboyne and The Lecht (no ski-ing today).

Just under 200 miles in all and four significant hills with a 20% gradient (amongst many lesser inclines).......not the slightest reluctance from an un-tuned, 650 engine.

 

[fiat500]

We recently discovered another Fiat 500, just 25 miles away. The owner was selling some surplus parts which it would have been rude to ignore.

 

[Bigvtwin996]

We recently discovered another Fiat 500, just 25 miles away. The owner was selling some surplus parts which it would have been rude to ignore.

blimey that's a hell of a surplus part... looks just like a car!!!

 

[fiat500]

blimey that's a hell of a surplus part... looks just like a car!!!

....it's definitely surplus to my requirements (as were the actual parts if I'm honest).

 

[lazylobster]

Lovely colour. Whats around the main headlights, some form of rubber gasket ?

 

[fiat500]

Lovely colour. Whats around the main headlights, some form of rubber gasket ?

You're obviously a lover of the radioactive spectrum!

The rubber rings are a non-original part which is intended to seal the recess where the reflector fits. They're a discredited item by some people as they (maybe?) spoil the appearance, can be tricky to make fit, maybe don't even work as seals and possibly trap moisture which would otherwise have an easy getaway.